Avs Talk - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

As I sit here waiting for a Michael Jackson disc to burn before my roadtrip (what, you don't dance while driving?), I remembered one thing I wanted to do and that's bid farewell to some of our departed Avalanche players.

In a shocking development, it appears that the following players will be walking away from the Avs and - hopefully - to another team some time before October:
Marek Svatos
Brett Clark
Ruslan Salei
Stephane Yelle
Chris Durno
Darcy Tucker

Marek Svatos
It was all over for him once Pierre Turgeon was out of town. After a shocking 32 goal rookie season, Svatos ended up with just 62 goals over the next four seasons, including a dismal seven goal effort last season.

I have a soft spot for the little players in the game and will always miss seeing the solid checks Svatos could throw when necessary. It was rare to see Svatos get knocked down without seeing him get back up and lay a shoulder into somebody.

I hope he lands somewhere where he can find a similar fit as he had with Turgeon.

Brett Clark
Many feel that Brett Clark's only redemption is his shot blocking statistics. In light of that, they also felt his salary was a vast overpayment. Of course, it could very well be these same people that are looking to sign Anton Volchenkov at a UFA-inflated salary because...he blocks a lot of shots.

But the fact remains that Clark is a 2nd-pair defenseman at best who is prone to flopping as opposed to actually playing defense. I'm not sad to see him go though it does reduce the Saskatchewan connections for the Avalanche down to zero. At least until they re-sign Tyler Weiman (come on, it's totally gonna happen....)

I'm sure he'll find a team looking to fill out their depth chart and hopefully it's not at Jeff Finger money so he doesn't become a potential pariah.

Ruslan Salei
He was a beast right after the trade that brought him to the Avalanche but after his castration, his play really dropped off.

He is getting up there in age but I'd be surprised if some team didn't take a flyer on him as a depth defenseman. It might not be until injuries start piling up during the season though.

Stephane Yelle
Ol' Yeller had a short go-round this time with the team but it was great seeing him in an Avalanche jersey again. He may be old but he still had fire in his eyes when he was on the ice.

It might be time for Yelle to hang 'em up and join the Avalanche in a coaching or development capacity. One can hope anyways.

Chris Durno
Next.

Darcy Tucker
Bye.